Cinder quick facts
- Dropped by destroying Scoria
- Transportable as a solid
- Burned back into Lava by a Flamethrower
- One link in the Lava-to-Lava cycle
Thermal material
Sandustry Cinder: How to Move Lava Without the Hazard
Cinder is the transportable form of Lava. It lets you relocate heat as a solid, then re-ignite it exactly where your factory needs the fire.
Made from Scoria
Burns back into Lava
Transportable
Verified against v0.5.5 on 2026-08-20
Official source
Why Cinder Exists
Lava is powerful but awkward to carry. Cinder is the answer: a version of the same heat that can be moved first and ignited later.
Destroy Scoria
Freeze Lava with Snow to form Scoria, then break the Scoria down. The Cinder that drops is what you haul back to base.
Carry it to where it is needed
Because Cinder is the transportable form of Lava, you can carry it to wherever the heat is needed.
Re-ignite into Lava
Apply a Flamethrower and the Cinder turns back into Lava at the spot you chose, ready for whatever needs the heat.
Using Cinder in the Factory
Once you can place Lava on demand, a few factory tricks stop being accidents and become tools.
Build an auto-burner
Trap Cinder in a Filter with no exit, ignite it into contained Lava, and run Residue or Flower across the top. The trapped Lava burns what passes over it.
Heat only where you want it
Transporting Cinder means you never have to tunnel a live Lava flow across the map. You carry the solid, then light it at the destination.
Where Cinder Sits in the Cycle
Cinder is easiest to remember as the movable middle of a loop, not a dead end.
Lava into Scoria
Snow freezes Lava into Scoria, the solid that carries the next step of the chain.
Cinder back into Lava
Destroy the Scoria for Cinder, then burn it to close the loop and reclaim your Lava wherever it is needed.